Pipes, conduits, and wires are commonly buried underground so that they are not visible, do not use valuable above-ground space, and are insulated from the elements. These pipes, conduits, wires, and the like may generically be referred to in this application as buried elements. In order to bury the buried elements a common method is to dig a trench, lay the element being buried within the trench and then backfill the excavated material into the trench on top of the element.
In many instances is it desirable to “pad” the buried element by making sure no large rocks or other large pieces of excavated material are adjacent to the buried element. Generally this is accomplished by making sure the backfill material surrounding the buried element is smaller than a specified diameter. Padding helps protect the buried element by assuring that the fill material is tightly packed and avoids contact between the buried element and larger articles that might damage the buried element as the soil shifts, or the buried element expands or contracts, especially in reaction to changing temperatures. Commonly building regulations, best practices guidelines, and construction contracts will specify a depth and size of particle that must be used to pad a buried element. According to a common standard a buried element will need to be padded with “one inch minus backfill” (i.e., all particles in the backfill are less than or equal to one inch in diameter) to a depth of one foot above the buried element. Other maximum sizes for the backfill and depths of the padding backfill may also be specified.
There are several known devices and methods for padding a pipe within a trench. However, these known devices and methods are not as efficient or reliable as desired. The present invention provides an improved apparatus and method for backfilling a trench and padding a buried element in a single operation.